Anthony Onifade

Sat 2 December 2023 20:10, UK

Tottenham are interested in Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite but may find a deal pretty difficult to do given the unnecessary wages currently on their books.

TalkSPORT reported on 1 December that the 21-year-old defensive starlet is set to have his pick of top clubs to choose from when, and not if, he leaves Goodison Park in the near future.

Branthwaite only signed a new deal at Everton until 2027 in October [The Athletic, 3 October], for his transfer value to be kept high with The Sheilds Gazette (15 November) quoting his current value at £45million.

According to talkSPORT, Tottenham, Newcastle, and Manchester United are all keeping tabs on the England under-21 international.

Despite Everton tying him down to a new deal, it’s inevitable that Branthwaite will leave Goodison Park due to major financial issues at the Merseyside club.

Given the financial ramifications Everton are embroiled under right now, as seen through their 10-point deduction in the Premier League, it won’t be far-fetched to assume they could accept a cut-price deal for Branthwaite when it does come to the point of a sale.

Tottenham are in the midst of a defensive crisis right now and the signing of Branthwaite certainly makes a whole host of sense for Postecoglou as he looks to cut down the age profile of the squad, but more crucially Spurs will need to free up some space on the wage bill.

Spurs took a considerable step to doing just that last season with their estimated total salary for the first team squad last season which was over £108m with another £21m for those on loan to keep in mind [Football.London, 9 September].

It is said that the sale of Tanguy Ndombele who departed over the summer – their second-highest earner – freed up over £10.4million from the wage bill.

Right now, the club is estimated to be paying out just £94million but much of that remains unclear given their transfer business over the summer signing the likes of James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Manor Solomon and Brennan Johnson.

However, there is still the issue of a few players who are huge wage packets at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that weren’t moved on during the summer, three of those, Hugo Lloris, Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Had they been moved on, it could have spared another £15.9million on their books [Football.London, 9 September].

One of those players in desperate need of a new lease on life is Dier who has somewhat become an unfortunate afterthought at Tottenham Hotspur and could well be moved on in January.

Fabrizio Romano reported in October that with Dier’s contract coming to an end next summer, the 49-time England international could be on his way out of North London as soon as the new year.

Writing via his Daily Briefing on Thursday (19 October), Italian journalist Romano said: “Eric Dier is approaching the end of his contract and at the moment there are no talks over a new deal.

“A January move is a possibility for Dier, but it will depend on the proposals.

“I think the best way for both sides now is to try something new, Dier can certainly be a regular starter elsewhere, though I’m not currently aware of anything concrete with Roma, despite rumours.”

Dier seems finished at Tottenham – and it’s not difficult to see why. The England international is earning a lot but such money is not being put to use with him languishing on the bench.

Freeing up his £60,000-a-week wages [Daily Mail, 9 July 2020] which on speculation could be much higher around £80,000-a-week could become a huge relief for Postecoglou to reshape his squad and find a younger and fresher long-term defensive candidate.

With Spurs in a real defensive crisis right now, it could well see Dier kept on in North London, especially if aren’t able to find a replacement which means the 29-year-old could rake in £560,000 between now and the summer transfer window.

If Tottenham want to secure the signature of one of the countries’ hottest defensive properties in Branthwaite, selling the likes of Dier, Lloris and Hojbjerg could allow plenty of room on their books to seal their dream and much-needed defensive signing.

In other Tottenham news, lightning should strike twice as they have upper-hand in transfer chase for midfield gem.